


Stranger Things Season 4

by NoirAngel011



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Canon Lesbian Character, F/F, F/M, Girls with Guns, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 08:37:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20468159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoirAngel011/pseuds/NoirAngel011
Summary: All is okay in Hawkins, Indiana.Families prepare for Christmas, Friends enjoy the winter break, children play in the snow and everything is simply right with the town.But secrets unfold when three girls arrive in Hawkins, with disturbing news.or,It's been a year and a half, El's powers still haven't shown any signs of returning. When she discovers a threat that brings back old memories and her friends begin dropping like flies, El is determined to save everyone, at whatever cost. People come and go, but one thing remains. And El knows she must confront her festering wound in order to save everyone she loves and maybe rediscover what she lost.





	Stranger Things Season 4

The room was dark. It was grimy and the air was thick. Everything was silent. The tile was slippery and dust covered cabinets and counters. Suddenly, an alarm rang.

Footsteps clicked along the floor. Lights flashed and flickered. A dark figure walked slowly and calmly as bells went off. Their footsteps were heavy but dominant.

The warehouse was dark and drafty. Around a corner was a bright light. The ceiling fan twirled without power. Everything was chaotic. Somebody was screaming. The motion of the blinking lights and creaking floorboards was sinister.

But the figure remained calm. Walking slowly, with a purpose. Guards stood around a glowing, pulsing thing. It was bright red and sticky. It looked like it was growing.

The figure touched the thing, barehanded. Something inside thrashed against the entrance. The thing, now obviously a man, stepped back. The creature moved and squirmed until a hole ripped straight through the thin slimy wall.

It leaped up to a guard’s face and attacked, eating the human alive. It was small but harmful. Its claws dug into the body as it feasted, tearing the guard apart piece by piece.

It turned around to bear it’s ugly head to the man. It growled then let out a howl as it was suddenly shoved forward by a flamethrower, setting it into flames as it withered into a pile of ashes.

The man looked down at the dead dog like creature. Down at the ripped apart man. He took a step forward.

“This is not the only one”

** _____________**

**STRANGER**

**THINGS**

**4**

**___________**

**  
** **Winona Ryder**

**David Harbour**

**Finn Wolfhard Millie Bobby Brown**

**Caleb Mclaughlin Gaten Mattarazzo**

**Sadie Sink Noah Schnapp**

**Charlie Heaton Natalia Dyer**

**Joe Keery Maya Hawke**

**Chloe Moretz Kaitlyn Dever**

**Linnea Berthleson Priah Ferguson **

**Cara Buono**

With

**Mathew Modine **

And

**Paul Riser**

**Executive Producers**

**Iain Patterson Shawn Levy Dan Cohen**

** _Created by The Duffer Brothers_ **

**Chapter One**

**Back Together Again**

**Chicago, IL**

El sat on her bottom bunk, sorting through a small wooden box. She looked over every item a thousand times. Everything had to be perfect. She took a deep breath and smoothed out her purple dress, with spaghetti strap sleeves and a shapeless cut, pulled over a long sleeve white t-shirt and gray leggings.

She was startled by a knock at her open door.

El looked up to see Joyce standing there, holding a roll of green and red Christmas wrapping paper. Joyce stepped into the room and handed El a roll of tape and the paper.

“Here you go. Are you all packed up?” She asked. El took the paper and set it next to her on the bed. She set down her box next to it.

“Yeah. All ready to go,” El said as she pointed to her packed suitcase and backpack sitting by her closet door.

“What are you wrapping?” Joyce asked El as she started to cut the paper to size to fit her box.

“It’s a surprise!” was El’s response, closing her box and hiding it behind her playfully. Joyce and El laughed.

Will popped into the room just then.

“Jonathan wants us to come eat dinner.” He said before dashing from the room. El and Joyce watched him go before laughing again.

“I guess we should go eat. We need fuel for the long road tomorrow,” Joyce said as she held a hand out to El. El took it and pulled herself off the bed. She ran off in the direction Will had gone.

Joyce took one last look around the room before closing the door and walking off to dinner.

**New York City, NY**

The snow was thick and her snow boots hardly helped her kick it away. She pushed her hair out of her face and ran up the steps to her dorm building. Robin ran down the hall and to her room, throwing the door open and slamming it behind her, collapsing onto her bed with a groan.

“Oh please, what are you on about now?” Her dorm mate asked from her bed across the small room.

“It’s freezing cold outside, Kelly, and there’s seven feet of snow,” Robin exaggerated as she sat up and took off her boots, pulling off her long red coat too leaving her in just a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved striped shirt. “I have to walk all the way across the campus in the wind, and tomorrow I have to sit on an eleven-hour bus ride full of grown men who want to talk to me!”

“It’s not the end of the world. You'll get to go home and _ be with your precious Steeeeevve.” _Kelly liked to taunt Robin constantly, using a sing-song voice whenever she mentioned Steve.

“Shut up. He’s just my friend,” Robin snapped back. Robin didn’t like when people said she and Steve were a thing. But it wasn’t like she could tell them why she wasn’t with him.

Even if it was New York. Even if people were less conservative. Robin couldn't risk that getting back home and destroying her relationships with almost everybody she knew.

“Sorry, Rob. Wanna get some sleep now?” Kelly was already climbing under her covers.

“Hell yes.” Robin slipped off her jeans and pulled don the flannel PJ pants at the foot of her bed. She didn’t even bother to change out of her top. She just threw her four blankets around herself and closed her eyes.

Kelly switched off the light beside her bed, the only thing illuminating the small room.

“Night, Kelly,” Robin murmured in the dark.

“Sleep tight, Robin.” And with that, the two girls fell fast asleep.

**December 22nd, 1986.**

**Hawkins, IN**

Max and Lucas laughed as Mike and Dustin attempted to string popcorn garland at the top of the tree, Mike was holding Dustin up and they were massively failing.

There was a crash as Mike went toppling down to the ground and knocking a picture frame off the bookshelf next to the tree. Max doubled over in giggles. Nancy came running down the stairs.

“Jeez, Mike, keep it down. What the hell did you break?” Nancy was halfway through doing her makeup, getting ready to go help her mom downtown at the church soup kitchen. She was holding a contour brush and still had unblended powder on her face.

“Why don’t you go fix your face so you don’t look like a clown!” Mike shot back, tossing a cranberry that had fallen off the garland at Nancy.

“Ugh! You are the worst.” She yelled as she retreated back up the stairs.

“Since you two clearly don’t have any balance whatsoever, Mike, you’re the tallest one here, hold me up so I can hang the garland,” Max suggested (though there wasn’t much room for arguing in her words) standing up and holding out her hand for the garland. Mike grumbled in compliance and handed her the string. He kneeled down and hoisted Max up. She wrapped the popcorn and cranberries around the top of the tree, connecting them to the lower strands with ease. 

Max hopped down from Mike’s grip and stepped back to admire her work.

“Looks good Max,” Lucas said, getting up to stand next to her. She intertwined their hands.

Dustin nodded in agreement. Mike rolled his eyes, but still did agree with the group. Max did have an eye for design.

Just then Nancy came back down the stairs, purse slung over her shoulder. She grabbed her large winter coat from the coat rack and tossed it on. She walked into the living room and stood behind the four.

“Looking good, guys. I’ll be back in a few hours. If the Byers get here early can you four help them get settled in?” Nancy asked as she slid on her sunglasses.

“Wait?! The Byers are coming today?!” Mike asked with surprise.

“Yes, Mike, you clearly don’t pay attention at family dinner.” Nancy rolled her eyes.

“Or talk to your girlfriend enough,” Dustin snorted. Max hid her smile at that. Everyone knew that the Byers were coming to Hawkins today except for Mike.

“Okay, we’ll keep them company!” Lucas called as Nancy walked out into the foyer. Nancy gave him a thumbs up from around the corner before they heard the door slam shut. 

Max jumped from her spot and went sprinting up the stairs, she had to make this perfect.

**...**

Robin laid her head on the glass, staring out the bus window. It fogged up with her breath and she wiped it away with her sleeve.

Thankfully, nobody had bothered her as she pretended to be reading a book. She couldn’t really focus on it too much though because the road was too bumpy.

She had woken up at four in the morning to catch the bus ride. It was an eleven-hour trip from school to Hawkins, and it had only been six.

Robin yawned, started to feel sleepy from waking up so early.

A pretty girl with reddish-brown hair got up from her seat two rows down and came over to Robin.

“Excuse me? Are you using this seat?” Her voice was sickeningly sweet, Robin noted. Still, Robin wasn’t a jerk. She looked up at the girl and shook her head no before turning her eyes back out the window.

The girl sat down next to her and set her bag down at her feet.

“Sorry for the intrudance. The girl next to me was getting on my nerves.” Robin looked back over at her and noticed just how pretty she was. Probably about Robin’s age, maybe a few months older. She looked about 5’ 2”, pretty hazel eyes and pale skin. She really was gorgeous. 

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind the company,” Robin smiled at her, trying to be nice.

“I’m Francine, by the way. What’s your name?” There was the bubbly sweet voice again. The voice that made Robin just want to listen to her talk all day.

“Robin,” She replied, a blush already creeping up on he face. She huddled deeper into her coat, trying to make it seem like she was cold, when really she was insanely love-struck.

“That’s a really cool name. Never heard it before.” Was this girl saying that being named after a literal bird was cool? Or was Robin just hallucinating?

When Robin didn’t answer Francine turned her attention to the book still sitting next to Robin.

“Skeleton Crew… Sounds interesting, what's it about?” Francine flipped open the cover and looked over the publication page, but she wasn’t reading it.

“It’s a collection of short stories, and a novella. And I think there’s a couple of poems too. They’re kinda just random stuff, it doesn’t make a cohesive story.” Robin was wringing her hands together trying to keep her cool, which was really hard when such a beautiful girl was sitting next to her and actually engaging in conversation.

“I’ve never been one into Stephen King, I don’t really like horror, but if you like it then it has to be good.” Francine flipped to the first page and started reading the first few paragraphs before she set it down.

“I’ll have to check out a copy of that one when I get back to Chicago,” Francine said, more to herself than Robin, but Robin was hung on every word she spoke.

“I never asked, where are you going?” Francine now turned her focus back to Robin. 

“Uh- Hawkins.” Robin scolded herself in her head. She sounded like an idiot.

“Really!? Me too!” Francine smiled excitedly and Robin smiled too.

She leaned her head back on the window as Francine pulled out her Walkman, sliding on her headphones and leaning back in the seat. Robin’s had died hours ago. 

Robin fell asleep smiling softly.

**…**

Joyce slammed the trunk of the car just as El came running up.

“Here! Here! Put this in the car,” El talked fast as she had just run down three flights of stairs from the apartment to the parking lot. She handed her wrapped box to Joyce and the Christmas sack.

“Thanks, El, go get in the backseat.” She opened the trunk back up and put El Christmas present’s inside next to the rest of the presents.

El clambered into the backseat next to Will. Jonathon was sitting in the passenger seat reading a road map.

“Look what Amy gave me,” El said, pulling something out of her pocket. She initially had trouble making friends going to school for the first time but eventually she had become close to a girl named Amy Matthews.

She pulled out a little board and turned it towards Will. It was a little game of pinball, decorated with rainbow stickers.

“Cool! Let’s play, one that lasts the longest wins.” Will set down his pad and crayons and leaned over to watch El start playing.

Joyce climbed into the car just then. El didn’t break her playing.

“Everyone ready?” Joyce asked them.

“Yes!” Will replied, looking up from the game momentarily.

“Uh-huh,” El hummed in response.

“Do we have everything, Jon?” Joyce looked to her oldest son.

“Yep, all the suitcases and backpacks are in the trunk and all the presents are wrapped.” Jonathan set down his map to take a quick look over his checklist.

“Okay, sounds like we’re all set.”

With that, the drive back to Hawkins for the Byers-Hopper family began.

**…**

Robin kicked the ice chunks away from her path as she walked from the bus stop to her parents’ house. The toes of her gray snow boots were almost black they were so soaked.

Her dad’s car was in the driveway when she approached. Robin re-shouldered her backpack and grabbed her duffel bag tighter.

It was only for two weeks, it would be fine.

She loved her parents, she really did. But they could be a little much sometimes. They were always nagging her, _ “When are you going to get a boyfriend? He seems like a nice boy for you to settle down with. You should start thinking about your future family.” _It got aggravating a lot.

She took the key from her pocket that she hadn’t used in over a year. Robin unlocked the door and pushed it open, immediately smelling her mom cooking some sort of casserole in the kitchen.

“God, does she know how to cook anything else?” Robin mumbled to herself. Just then her dad came walking around the corner as she shut the door.

“Rob! Glad you made it home, baby,” he said as he pulled her into a hug. Robin smiled, she had always been more of a daddy’s girl.

“I told you I would. I don’t break my promises,” Robin rolled her eyes playfully, pulling away from the hug. She grabbed her duffel bag where she had dropped it onto the floor.

“I’m gonna go set my stuff down,” Robin said as she dashed up the stairs, really needing to get out of her wet shoes.

She dropped her stuff to the floor and kicked off her boots, chucking them into the corner of the room. It still looked the same as she left it, nothing moved out of place. It felt nice knowing her parents had enough trust in her to not go rifling through her stuff.

Robin flopped down on her bed, staring up at the popcorn ceiling and looking for patterns among the dots. She couldn’t stop thinking about Francine, who had gone the opposite direction when they got off the bus.

Then the phone rang, pulling her from her thoughts.

Robin reached over to grab it and held it up to her ear. She smiled impossibly wide when she heard the voice on the other end.

“Hello, Robin Buckley,” she answered. 

“Robin! You’re back!”

“Good to know you missed me, dingus,” She couldn’t hide the smile in her voice.

“Can I come pick you up? We haven't talked in three weeks.” That was true. Kelly was always hogging the phone to talk to her boyfriend back in Pennsylvania. 

“Um- sure,” Robin said, glancing over her shoulder at her closed bedroom door, hoping her parents weren’t listening to her conversation.

“Okay! See you in ten, I'll pull up at your window!” Steve called before hanging up. Robin smiled and shook her head, placing her phone back on the hook. She hopped up off her bed and opened her duffel bag, pulling out her red converse and pulling them on, running over to her window to wait on Steve.

He pulled up just like he said, at her window ten minutes later. She lifted it open and clambered out, stepping down onto the small ladder that was always propped up against the house. Robin ran over to his BMW through the snow and slid into the passenger seat.

“Robin and Steve! Back together baby!!” Steve hollered as he hit the gas, driving off back towards his house.

“You are such a dingus!” Robin laughed.

**…**

Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max were in the Wheeler’s living room playing a very competitive round of Sorry! When the doorbell rang. Mike jumped up to answer it immediately. 

“Mike!” The other three heard El cry. They stood up and came into the foyer, watching the reunion. El jumped into Mike’s arms and he spun her around in circles, both of them giggling too much to even get a proper kiss in. 

Joyce and Jonathan smiled as they watched, Will just slid past him and over to the others.

MIke set El down and she hugged him tightly.

“I missed you,” She was smiling as she spoke.

“I missed you too.” 

Max rolled her eyes. They were utterly love-struck. It was kinda cute though.

“Really guys!? You saw each other three weeks ago. El hasn’t even looked at the rest of us,” Max felt bad to ruin the moment but she needed her best friend to at least acknowledge her. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall covered in photo frames.

El jumped away from Mike’s grasp at her words, running over and wrapping Max into an impossibly tight hug.

“I would never forget about you guys!” El exclaimed, grabbing Lucas and Dustin and pulling them into a three-way hug.

Joyce and Jonathan were bringing stuff into the house and stacking it in the foyer. Mike suddenly remembered what Nancy told him.

“My mom and Nancy went to volunteer at the soup kitchen downtown for a few hours, they’ll be back soon. Let me show you to the guest room though, Ms Byers..” Lucas and Max tried to hide smiles as they watched Mike try to host guests.

“Thank you, Mike. And please, just call me Joyce.” It felt like she had told these kids a million times to just call her Joyce, but they hardly ever listened. Only El and Lucas ever called her Joyce.

Mike helped carry Joyce and Jonathan’s bags upstairs, leaving Jonathon’s in Nancy’s room and leading Joyce to the guest bedroom. Downstairs, the other five were placing the Christmas presents under the tree in the living room, stepping around the abandoned Sorry! Game.

While everyone else was working, Max grabbed El and pulled her aside.

“Hey, grab your bags, I have a surprise for you outside.” Max nodded her head towards the back door. El bounced on her toes as she grabbed her backpack and suitcase. What surprise could Max have planned outside in the snow?

Max led her through the house and out onto the back patio. She pulled her down the hill and towards the woods. They walked for a few minutes before reaching a clearing. El gasped.

There was a beautiful fort standing before her. Robin and Steve had helped the kids build it once Will and El had gone home for school after summer break.

It had been Christmas-afied. Covered in rainbow lights and beaded garland.

“It’s amazing!” El cried, jumping up and down in the snow. Max turned to her and smiled. She beckoned her into the hut, and El followed her inside.

It was even more magical inside. Max had set up a small Christmas tree and the floor was covered with really fuzzy blankets. There even was a space heater, El had no idea where Max had plugged it in.

“This is incredible, you are the best friend ever,” El said with true childlike wonder and amazement.

Max grabbed an envelope by the door.

“Here, open it.” She handed it over to El.

El was smiling wide as she opened the letter up, pulling out the card inside.

“You really are the best!” El squealed, throwing her arms around Max. Max hugged her back.

“Like it?”

“Love it!”

El picked up the card and read over it again.

“The best Christmas present ever,” El marveled.

“Oh I don’t know about that, just wait until you see what Mike got you.” El looked over at Max. The redhead had a mischievous smirk in her eyes as she spoke. El felt giddy all over.

This really was going to be an awesome Christmas.

**With Molly Gorden**

_as Kelly Fisher_


End file.
